Oman decries Israel's aggression on Syria
Oman reiterates its urgent appeal to the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities by ensuring Israel's complete withdrawal from the occupied Syrian territories, halting all hostile actions endangering civilian lives, and implementing a comprehensive political solution in accordance with UN Resolution 2254, which aims to restore stability in Syria through a Syrian-led transitional process.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Oman affirmed its full support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its solidarity with the Syrian people. It called for intensified international efforts to protect civilians and alleviate their suffering by providing necessary humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, Syrian leader Ahmed al Sharaa accused Israel of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority on Thursday, after US intervention helped end deadly fighting between government forces and Druze fighters in the south.
Overnight, the government's troops withdrew from the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, where scores of people have been killed in days of conflict pitting Druze fighters against government troops and Bedouin tribes.
One local journalist said he'd counted more than 60 bodies in the streets of Sweida on Thursday morning. Ryan Marouf of Suwayda24 said he had found a family of 12 people killed in one house, including women and an elderly man. Violence in Syria escalated sharply on Wednesday as Israel launched air strikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze - part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.
Israel, which bombed Syria frequently under the rule of ousted president Bashar al Assad, has struck the country repeatedly this year.
Addressing Syrians on Thursday, interim President Sharaa accused Israel of seeking to "dismantle the unity of our people", saying it had "consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime".
Sharaa said that protecting Druze citizens and their rights was "our priority" and rejected any attempt to drag them into the hands of an "external party".
He also vowed to hold to account those who committed violations against "our Druze people".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had established a policy demanding the demilitarisation of a swathe of territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida. He reiterated Israel's policy to protect the Druze. - Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
6 hours ago
- Observer
Oman condemns Israeli Knesset's bill on West Bank
The Sultanate of Oman has voiced its condemnation of the Israeli Knesset's approval of a draft bill calling for the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank in Palestine. This move, Oman affirmed, represents yet another defiance of international law, the resolutions of the international community, and a deliberate undermining of Middle East peace efforts, the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and the two-state solution. In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Oman reiterates its vehement rejection of Israel's continued enforcement of policies of blockade and starvation, as well as its obstruction of food, medicine and humanitarian aid to the population in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories. It holds Israel and its supporters fully responsible for the legal, humanitarian and political consequences of these practices, which violate the international humanitarian law. More than 70 Israeli lawmakers passed a motion on Wednesday urging the government to impose sovereignty over the West Bank, though the symbolic move does not affect the Palestinian territory's legal status. The non-binding vote in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, was backed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, as well as some opposition lawmakers. 'Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria' — the name Israel uses for the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967 — was 'an integral part of the realisation of Zionism and the national vision of the Jewish people', the text stated. It passed by a vote of 71 to 13, with 36 other lawmakers absent. Some 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which is home to around three million Palestinians. Israeli settlement there is regularly condemned by the UN and is considered illegal under international law. Meanwhile, more than 100 international humanitarian organisations have called on governments around the world to immediately open all land crossings into Gaza, restore full access to food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter materials and fuel, and to support a UN-led humanitarian mechanism, alongside an immediate and lasting ceasefire. In a joint statement, humanitarian organisations said that aid workers are now standing in food lines, risking gunfire, just to feed their families, while the Israeli occupation government's blockade continues to starve Gaza's population. — Agencies
Times of Oman
a day ago
- Times of Oman
UN calls for urgent, coordinated action to launch recovery efforts in Lebanon
New York: The United Nations on Thursday called for urgent and coordinated action to launch recovery efforts in Lebanon, warning that the country's protracted crisis is worsening under the combined impact of war and other compounding shocks. In a joint report released today titled "The Socio-Economic Impact of the 2024 War on Lebanon," the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in collaboration with UNICEF, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and UN-Habitat, revealed that the conflict in Lebanon displaced more than 1.2 million people, damaged or destroyed nearly 64,000 buildings, and interrupted education for hundreds of thousands of students. The report highlighted that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises - which make up 90 percent of Lebanon's economy - were among the hardest hit. About 15 percent of these businesses permanently closed, 75 percent suspended operations during the conflict, and nearly 30 percent lost their entire workforce. In areas most heavily targeted by Israeli airstrikes, 70 percent of businesses were forced into full closure, the report said, noting that the economic toll has been severe, with Lebanon's economy contracting by 38 percent between 2019 and 2024. The report suggests that comprehensive recovery anchored in structural reforms could reverse the decline, projecting economic growth of 8.2 percent in 2026 and 7.1 percent in 2027. However, even with such reforms, the country's GDP would remain 8.4 percent below its 2017 peak of USD 51.2 billion.
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Thailand and Cambodia's deadly border dispute: what we know
Cambodia: Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets on Thursday as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery, killing at least 11 civilians, in a sharp escalation of a long-running border dispute. The two countries are locked in a bitter feud over parts of the Emerald Triangle, where their borders meet Laos and several ancient temples stand. How did it start? The territorial row has dragged on for decades, but the latest flare-up between the two countries began with military border clashes in May that left one Cambodian soldier then, the two sides have hit each other with retaliatory measures, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine blast on Wednesday in the Nam Yuen district of northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province, according to the Thai Thai ministry of public health said Thursday at least 11 civilians had been killed in cross-border strikes by Cambodia.A spokesperson for Cambodia's defence ministry declined to comment on Thursday when asked about casualties on its side. What happened? The conflict blazed on Thursday as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery into Thailand, and Thai F-16s carried out strikes on two Cambodian military targets, officials said.A Cambodian shell hit a Thai house, killing one civilian and wounding three, including a clashes erupted near two temples on the border between the Thai province of Surin and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey, with both sides trading condemned Cambodia as "inhumane, brutal and war-hungry", accusing it of targeting homes and civilian infrastructure.- What is the state of diplomacy? - The violence came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy in protest after the landmine embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia "as soon as possible" unless they had urgent reasons to Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday requested the UN Security Council convene an "urgent meeting" to address what his foreign ministry called "unprovoked military aggression".China, a close ally of Cambodia, said it was "deeply concerned" about the clashes, calling for Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, which currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called on its fellow ASEAN members Thailand and Cambodia to "stand down". Thai political crisis? The border dispute has also triggered a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her an attempt to defuse the row, Paetongtarn held a diplomatic call with Hun Sen, Cambodia's former longtime ruler and father of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun phone call was leaked from the Cambodian side last month, sparking a judicial investigation.- Cambodia's future conscripts? - Hun Manet announced this month that Cambodia would start conscripting civilians next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft cited rising tensions with Thailand for the conscription law dates back to 2006 but has never been Manet has proposed conscripts serve for two years to bolster the country's 200,000 personnel, requiring citizens aged 18 to 30 to enlist in the military.
